No Rest For The Wicked
by shadowblade-tara
Summary: Shadows Within. The hunters are closing in, and the team doesn't know what to do. Even if they can convince someone that they're all on the same side, will it be in time to keep the worst from happening?
1. Chapter 1

Criminal Minds © CBS.

Part 20 of Shadows Within.

**No Rest For The Wicked**

Alan meets Sam and Dean just outside of DC. He's a tall, scrappy man, older than any hunter has a right to be and always with a cane by his side. Dean knows full well that cane is not for walking – Alan uses it to beat monsters into submission. It's made of silver and the grip usually is soaked in holy water. Alan is vicious, a lot like Gordon in that respect, but Dean and Sam like him anyway.

Dean leans against the hood of the Impala. "So, what's this new case you got?"

Alan grins and hands him an envelope. "McCreer pointed them out to me. Apparently one of them managed to survive a 20 foot drop."

Sam looks up. "And that makes them monsters?"

"Not alone. The man that fell wasn't with the others – but they all somehow knew the instant it happened. No cell phones were used in the making of this trick." Alan stuffs his hands in his pockets, keeping his cane tucked into one elbow. "So, whaddya say? You with me on this?"

"There's seven of them." Dean points out. "You planning on going up against them all by yourself if we aren't?"

"Maybe. It'll be a challenge."

"There's not just seven of them." Sam says suddenly. "They're all FBI agents." He glances at Dean. "That's not something to mess with, Dean. We get this wrong, and we're more screwed than we've ever been." Dean nods. The brothers have been on the wrong side of the law more than a few times, but they usually managed to get away through a combination of cunning and sheer luck. On the other hand, they also weren't deliberately attacking the law those times.

This time, there will be no escape if they screw up.

Alan shrugs. "Up to you guys. At least check it out with me."

Dean nods. "We'll check it out. For now."

/-/

It's not often Spencer Reid goes shopping on his own. The girls are out doing their own thing; Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan are stuck doing paperwork; and Reid wants to get out of the mansion. The boys are in school still. He can do a little grocery shopping, maybe get the stuff to make a cake, and be back in time to pick the boys up from the bus stop. Then the three of them can make a cake together and surprise the others (unlikely, but they'll still enjoy it).

He's in the baking section of the grocery store when he hears it.

_Doesn't look like much._

Slowly, he glances over his shoulder. There's a man standing there, at least as tall as he is, with messy hair and a denim jacket. He returns his gaze to the shelf and grabs a thing of cake mix, keeping his attention focused on the man behind him.

_Young. Surprised he make FBI. Could be one of Azazel's kids, I guess. Looks to be the right age. Maybe. Hard to tell._

Reid frowns to himself. This isn't just some random man. This person is here looking specifically for him. He moves down the aisle, and sure enough, the other man follows him. Reid probes just deep enough to get a name: Sam Winchester.

_The hell was that?_

He glances behind him again. This time Sam has his hand up to his forehead, rubbing it like he has a headache. Reid's eyes widen. It's been a long time since he's found someone who can tell when he's being Read. It's an odd feeling. He quickly gets the rest of the stuff he needs and reaches out for Prentiss. _Are you being followed?_

_I don't think so._

_Keep an eye out. There's someone at the grocery following me. He can tell when I Read him, but I don't think he knows what it is._

That's when Hotch makes his voice known. _Don't go home. Come back to headquarters. _

_What about Jack and Henry?_

_I'll have Jessica pick them up. Just don't show him where we live._

Reid nods to himself. He pays for his groceries and leaves the store. He's grateful they have plenty of milk and eggs. There's nothing in his bags that will spoil if he leaves them in the car. A moment later he hears Prentiss again.

_We are being followed. Some man in a leather jacket. We're meeting you guys at HQ._

_Be careful, guys._ Morgan pleads.

Outside the grocery, Sam watches as Reid drives away. He pulls out his cell and calls Dean. "You find out anything?"

"_No, nothing. I think I was made, though. The girls just up and left, and I don't think it was because they weren't having a good time."_ Dean sighs. _"Dude, this is whack. There's something not right about this."_

Sam frowns. "Maybe Cas knows."

"_Maybe. Look, get back to the hotel, see what Alan dug up on them. I'll meet you there."_

"Got it."

/-/

At headquarters, the entire team gathers in Garcia's office. Here, the only person who might bother them is Kevin. Hotch turns his attention to Reid. "What did you get from him?"

Reid shrugs. "Not much. I have a name though – Sam Winchester. He's the one that was following me." Garcia turns in her chair and starts typing away. There's a beep.

"This kid isn't good at staying off the radar. He and his brother are suspected in at least two murders, not to mention uncountable numbers of grave desecration, breaking and entering, arson, impersonating a federal officer, and general all-around fraud." She brings up the pictures. Reid nods.

"That's Sam."

Prentiss points to the other picture. "And that's the guy following us. His brother, I guess – Dean."

Morgan crosses his arms over his chest. "So, what do we make of this? I mean, obviously these are some serious dudes, but they don't sound like our garden variety unsubs."

"They aren't." Reid says. "I think they're hunters."

Hotch frowns. "What makes you say that?"

"One of the books Bobby gave me said that the only way to kill a ghost is to salt and burn the remains of the person." Reid nods to the list. "Grave desecration."

"If they're hunters, that means they're after us." JJ says. "There's no other reason for them to be following us, right?"

Prentiss nods. "How do we take care of this, Hotch? It's not like we can just shoot them – they're not unsubs. And we can't go after them without revealing us."

Hotch nods slowly. "For now, we wait. See what they're up to. If they're following us, that means they don't realize what we are – or at least, they suspect, but have no proof. Let's not give them any." He looks to the others. "Don't give these guys any reason to come after us. Keep a low profile. Maybe they'll go away."

"And if they don't?" Rossi asks.

Hotch just looks at him. "Then we'll deal with that when it comes."

/-/

Back at the hotel, Alan gives Sam and Dean the run-down on the FBI agents. "There's not much here, but there's enough. They're damn good at what they do." he says.

Sam nods. "If they're profilers, that explains how they made us so fast."

Dean grimaces. "Yeah. And if they're profilers, that's going to make it a thousand times harder to get the drop on them."

"We don't even know if we need to get the drop on them." Sam points out. Alan snorts. Sam ignores him. "Dean, we don't want to make any mistakes with this."

Dean knows where his brother's mind is going. His is moving the same way. There's no indication that these guys are evil, freaks or not. After the case with the vampires, they've been extra careful to stake things out first. He looks at his brother.

"Then we're just going to have to find out. We lay low a few days – see what other information we can find. Then we take one of them and see what we can find out."

Alan nods. "Which one?"

Dean points at the screen. "Him. Spencer Reid."

/-/

AN: Whoo! This part will probably be a 5 shot. Then there will most likely be one more part after this that will wrap up the Shadows Within saga, bring in the kids from Children of the Darkness, and maybe open up a similar set of one-shots for the SPN universe. I'm not sure yet. Regardless, review, my lovely readers!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I am so sorry for the long update time! Just too much going on! Aagh! Anyway – enough babbling, on with the story!

**No Rest For The Wicked, Pt 2**

The next day, Prentiss and Morgan head out to patrol the area around the grocery Reid likes to frequent. They're hoping they'll catch a glimpse of Sam and Dean – something that can tell them just how much these hunters know about them. They pause at a newspaper stand, mostly for a reason to stick around and not look suspicious. Prentiss grins as Morgan buys a comic.

"Didn't know you were an Ultimates fan." she teases. Morgan grins.

"I made the mistake of taking Pretty Boy to see the Avengers." he says. "You wouldn't believe how into these things he gets."

"Uh-huh. And the fact that you, Reid, and Garcia pass them around means?"

"Absolutely nothing." Morgan says cheerfully. "Besides, this is the brand-new issue. And with how fast we can breeze through a comic, I don't have to wait forever to get my turn." Prentiss just laughs at him as they round a corner into an alley.

They don't see Alan standing there in the shadows, waiting for them to come. He's a master of dirty tricks – knowing when to get in and out and how not to be seen doing it. Alan knows how to take a chance and have it pay off.

He's in and out before Prentiss realizes she's been stabbed. Morgan sees him go, but the searing pain burning in his side is enough to keep him with Prentiss. He grabs her by her arms and helps ease her to the ground. Blood soaks her shirt fast, too fast for Morgan's liking.

"Hang on, Prentiss, you're gonna be okay." He's frantic, pulling her shirt up so he can assess the damage. It looks deep; he knows it came damn close to puncturing a lung. Serrated edge, designed to do maximum damage being pulled out. His hands are shaking. "Damn." He puts one hand over the wound and pushes down, reaching into his pocket with the other to get his cell.

"Morgan, wait."

Prentiss shoves his hand to the side. Together, they watch as the wound heals over on its own. Slowly, they look up at each other. Prentiss blinks. "That was freaky as hell."

"Yeah." He pulls her shirt back down. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. Nothing feels wrong." She allows Morgan to pull her back to her feet. "Who the hell was that?" Morgan just shakes his head, staring in the direction the man ran off.

_Hotch, the hunters just declared war._

/-/

Castiel arrives at Sam and Dean's hotel room just as Alan gets back. He stops, staring at the newcomer. "Who the hell is this?" he snaps. "I thought we were in this on our own."

Dean leans against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Cas is a friend. We figured we could use his opinion on this one." he says calmly.

Alan snorts. "We don't need his opinion – they're freaks, and they're going down." He raises his bloody knife, a sadistic smirk twisting his lips. "I already got one."

Sam jerks. "What the hell! You stabbed an FBI agent to death?"

"Yep. Got her right between the ribs." Alan flops down on a bed and starts cleaning his knife. "She'll drown in her own blood before her partner can get help. Now it's six against three." He motions towards Castiel with his knife. "Four, if your friend is with us."

Castiel just stares at the knife. "Dean, may I speak with you outside?" Dean nods and follows him out the door. Castiel leans against the wall, sighing. "Alan is reckless. Luckily, it will take far more than that to kill one of those agents."

Dean frowns. "What are you talking about? They're really freaks?"

Castiel glances at him. "Like one would have considered Sam a freak, when he still had visions." he retorts. "Dean, these people are not evil. You cannot hunt them."

"Alan says they killed his cousin."

"Whether they did or not is irrelevant." Castiel says. "You cannot hunt them. This is a battle you will not win."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Because I know these people. It will take a very special set of circumstances to kill them, and you cannot replicate those circumstances. If you try, you will fail, and then they will kill you. And Sam, and Alan. Whatever it takes to make them feel safe again."

Dean just stares at him. "You know them pretty well."

"They came to me for help. I never mentioned them to you because I never thought this situation would arise."

The hunter nods. "Look, Cas, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just – "

"You need to know for yourself." Castiel sighs. "I understand. Just – I need to at least try to convince you to walk away from this one. Please."

Castiel doesn't plead. He demands, orders, but he doesn't beg. This is the first time Dean has heard him use that tone. It's almost enough to make him just leave this one alone, but well, now he's curious. He shakes his head.

"I can't. But I can promise I won't do anything to them – or let Alan do anything to them – until I know for sure. Does that work?"

Castiel nods slowly. "It does. You will see, Dean. They are not monsters."

/-/

They meet back at the mansion. Hotch insists on looking Prentiss over, making sure she's okay. Once he's satisfied, he turns his attention to Morgan. "Who was he?"

"No idea. I'm not Reid; I can't read other people's minds." Morgan sighs. "Honestly, I can't even tell you what the guy looked like. He was gone before we could even get a look." He runs his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry, Hotch."

"Don't be. You did what you had to." Hotch turns to Prentiss. "Go upstairs and get cleaned up. The boys are coming home early today." She nods and heads off. Hotch glances at Morgan. "You too. Clean up." Morgan looks down at his hands, just then realizing they're still covered in Prentiss's blood. He shivers and heads down the hall. JJ and Garcia head upstairs to help Prentiss.

This leaves Hotch, Rossi, and Reid in the living room alone. Rossi looks to Hotch. "What do we do? It's not like we can kill them."

"Killing them would bring more problems than just the law." Reid says softly. "Hunters are extremely protective of each other; even ones who don't know them will come after us if we kill them. We'll never be safe again."

"I know." Hotch runs his fingers through his hair. "All of this – Reid, what do you think of them?"

Reid looks at his hands. "From what I got from Sam, I don't think he and his brother are the problem. I think whoever stabbed Prentiss – it isn't them. It's got to be someone else." He looks up. "Maybe I could call Castiel and find out?"

Rossi makes a face. "I'm pretty sure an angel has bigger things to worry about than little old us."

"Probably." Hotch agrees. "I hate to say it, but we need a trap."

Rossi stiffens. "You want one of us to be bait."

"Not one." Reid says suddenly. "Me." Rossi twists to face Reid, but the younger continues on. "The hunter went after Prentiss, not Morgan. That says he lacks the confidence to take on an alpha male without help. But I'm not an alpha – he'll have no problems coming after me. And then I can tell you guys what you need to know to take them out."

"No." Rossi says flatly. "That's not acceptable."

Reid just gives him a look. "Double standards, Rossi."

"Yeah, and they're gonna stay that way, too." Rossi points out. "Hotch, come on – you can't be seriously considering this."

"Unfortunately, I don't see where we have a choice." Hotch admits. "I don't like the idea any more than you do, but it's not like we're gonna leave him alone." He sighs. "They came after Prentiss. Morgan is right – this is war. We need to stop it now, before someone figures out how to kill us."

"I'm not sure we can be killed, Hotch." Reid says. "I mean, someone would have to find a way to kill all of us at once. Since Garcia's usually not anywhere near our cases – we can never be killed." He shrugs.

Rossi shakes his head. "I'll think about that later. Let's go check on Morgan and Prentiss before the boys get home. This is the last thing they need to worry about."


	3. Chapter 3

**No Rest For The Wicked, Part 3**

They know the hunters are coming. They have something that resembles a plan – knowing they can't be killed gives them a small amount of confidence. Reid has more of that than any of them; Hotch just thinks it's only a matter of time before someone figures out how to kill at least one of them. Still, it's a plan, and it's all they've got.

Reid finds himself walking out to his car by himself, as is part of the plan. The others left early; to keep up appearances (because Strauss still hasn't figured out they've moved in together yet, somehow) Reid stays late to work on reports, like he always does. He finishes late, sends out a message to Hotch that he's on his way, and heads to his car.

He stops maybe twenty paces away. His is one of a handful of cars still there. Still, there's someone else, someone behind him. Reid reaches out, touching the mind of his new stalker. During his time at the FBI, he's mastered the art of not wincing at every little thing that seems wrong. He's learned that his team takes such winces seriously. What he finds inside this man's head, however, has him wincing.

"Don't you know you shouldn't sneak up on an FBI agent?" He turns around. Alan stands there, gun leveled at his chest, cane in one hand. The hunter smirks.

"You mean the psychic, Spencer Reid?" he taunts. "I know all about you and your merry band of freaks. I know how you can kill with a touch – and bring the dead back to life." Two other men come out of the shadows, shotguns at the ready. These two Reid automatically recognizes as the brothers, Sam and Dean. He reaches out, taking stock of the situation.

And suddenly, their half-assed plan becomes clearer in his mind.

_Reid?_

_I have an idea._

"Look," Sam says, shooting Alan a glare, "we don't want to hurt you. We just need to talk to you, that's all."

Reid lifts his chin. "Then why the guns?"

"Because you're dangerous, you freak." Alan snaps. "The guns are for our protection."

But Reid's listening for it, and he can hear already the dissention. Sam hasn't figured out how Alan jumped from coincidence to psychic killers, and Dean just really wishes Alan would shut up before Reid decides to call for backup. Reid raises his hands. "I don't have my gun. I'm not dangerous."

"Just means you aren't in a position to argue." Dean says. He motions with his gun. "Come on. Do as we say, answer some questions, and no one gets hurt."

Reid nods slowly. He has a feeling this is going to be messy, and the FBI parking garage is no place for this. Besides, he knows where they're going. _Meet me there,_ he tells Hotch as he allows Dean and Sam to lead him to a black Chevy Impala. _Make sure you're in a position to stop things if they won't listen to reason._

_Sounds like I may not have to._ Hotch replies. _Reid – call Castiel. You're going to need the extra protection._

_I won't have to. Dean keeps thinking about someone called Cas, and I think that's our angel. He must know the hunters._

He senses Hotch nod. _Be careful, kid._ Morgan whispers. Reid reaches out and hugs him even as he lets Dean put him in the backseat of the car. At least it's not the trunk. Reid's not sure he could handle it if they decided to put him in the very dark trunk.

Turns out, they don't go very far. Dean drives, Sam sits up front, Alan is in the back with Reid. They go halfway across the city to an abandoned construction site. It's supposed to be a new set of office buildings, but the company lost funding before they could be completed. Now they're four walls, a catwalk that goes all the way around the walls about 40 feet up complete with a half-wall to keep people from falling off, and that's it.

It's closer to the mansion than it is to headquarters, and without looking Reid already knows the team is there. They're spread out across the catwalk, crouched behind the half-wall, guns drawn and ready to fire. Even Garcia is there; she's at the backdoor, ready to provide a distraction if that's what it takes to get Reid out of a sticky situation.

He's never felt more loved.

Sam guides him to a chair and has him sit down. Dean ties his arms behind his back. The two of them join Alan standing in front of them. Reid automatically tests his bonds. Dean knows how to tie a knot; he's not getting out easily. He looks up at the hunters calmly. "If you want to talk, do it."

Dean and Sam exchange looks. Thoughts flit by so fast Reid can't catch them, but he knows there's doubt and uncertainty. Dean is the one who decides to interrogate him. "Okay – I'm Dean, this is my brother, Sam, and our friend, Alan. This is gonna sound strange, but we hunt down supernatural evil, and someone brought you and your team to our attention."

Reid blinks. "Supernatural evil."

"Yeah. Ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires – there's a whole world out there you can't imagine." Dean says dryly.

"At least ghosts follow rules." Reid says. At their surprised looks, he adds, "What? I read."

"Okay, let's just cut to the chase." Sam says. "I don't want to stick around here any longer than necessary. Look, someone told us that you brought a dead man back to life. Is that true?"

Reid doesn't even blink. "Yes."

Dean's expression morphs from easy watchfulness to complete shock. "How?"

"That's a very long story I don't care to share with strangers." Reid retorts. "Will you let me go now?"

That's when Alan slaps him across the face. "Don't backtalk us." he hisses. "Just remember who's in charge here."

_That's not us._ The realization shocks Dean. _The kid's got all the cards here. He's too calm, even for an agent. Something's not right. We're so screwed._

Reid ignores Dean, focusing all of his attention on Alan. He's the one who initiated this whole mess; his mind has to have some clues. Hotch and Rossi reach out, anchoring Reid as he digs deep in Alan's mind. What he finds has him recoiling in shock and anger.

"Alan Foyet?"

The name comes out a snarl, and he feels Hotch tense up in his mind. Sam and Dean stand there, exchanging confused looks. Alan looks like he's been hit.

"That's my surname. The one I was born to. I was adopted when I was six months old."

"You're George Foyet's cousin!" The anger is rapidly building into rage. Sam and Dean back away, guns raised, unsure. Reid glares up at Alan. "All of this, because of what Hotch did to Foyet?"

Alan leans over him. "He killed my cousin. He beat him to death with his bare hands."

Dean finally finds his voice. "Is that true?"

Reid snorts. "Yes. But only to save his son." He never looks away from Alan. "You didn't tell them, did you? George Foyet has another name you might know him as – the Reaper. We tracked him down. Tried to arrest him, but he got away. He came after Hailey and Jack. He killed Hotch's wife, he threatened to kill Jack – _what were you expecting him to do_?"

Alan raises his gun. "Come and save you." His finger tightens on the trigger.

Then, like the voice of God, Rossi calls out.

"Drop it, or I'll drop you."

/-/

An: And there is a good stopping point. This is so not going in the order I meant, but the characters demand, and I don't argue. So, part 3 down. Two more to go – a showdown between the BAU and Alan Foyet, and then what happens with Sam and Dean. Review, please!


	4. Chapter 4

**No Rest For The Wicked, pt 4**

Dean and Sam automatically raise their weapons, but Sam knows it's useless. The half-wall keeps them from getting a clear shot. His gaze snaps to Spencer Reid, who's still staring at Alan like he wishes the man would explode. Alan doesn't seem to care about the FBI agents up on the catwalk. His entire focus is on Reid.

"Only if Aaron Hotchner comes down here." he taunts. "Go on, Spencer. Tell him to come down. Tell him to let me kill him, so I'll spare you."

"Like you tried to kill me?" a female voice – Prentiss – calls out from the other side of the building. "We don't die easy."

Alan finally shows a reaction. His face pales, the blood completely draining from his skin. His hand shakes. Sam makes the connection. "You're the agent he stabbed." he calls back.

"Emily Prentiss. Nice to meet you, Sam Winchester."

"Yeah. Sorry about that – we didn't know what he was gonna do." There's still a chance to salvage this, if they can get out in one piece. Dean gives him a dirty look, but Sam ignores it. Finding out about the agents can wait. Sam doesn't really care if the kid can raise the dead. He just want to not get caught in the crossfire between a revenge-driven Alan and at least six pissed-off agents.

"Why me?" Reid's voice interrupts them. "Why, out of all the agents Hotch works with, did you pick me?" Alan grins.

"Because you're the weakest." He shrugs. "Besides that lab tech, but she was more likely to put up a fight. You just came, like I knew you would." He raises his voice. "How does that feel, Aaron? All the training you've given this kid, and his first reaction is to just give up."

Reid speaks up before Hotch can retort. "Why hunting? If you wanted to be just like Foyet, why not just start killing people like he did?" The answer crosses Alan's mind, and Reid grins. "See, now that's just sad. You're scared of us. You're scared of getting caught, because you know you aren't as good at escaping as your cousin is – oh, I'm sorry, _was_. You don't want to be caught, so instead of killing humans, you go after vampires and werewolves. It's still dead bodies, but at least the other hunters know how badass you are."

_Don't rile him up._ Garcia pleads.

_He knows what he's doing._ JJ assures her. _Reid's words are his weapons._

Alan presses his gun into Reid's throat. Dean starts forward. "Alan, stop! That's enough! You can't just kill him!"

"Why not? That's what we were gonna do anyway, isn't it?"

"No, it's not! We don't kill innocent people!"

"They aren't innocent." Alan grins. "What do you think, Aaron? Do you think you can drop me before I kill him?"

Reid looks up at him. "Put the gun down."

There's a different quality to Reid's voice, one Sam can't quite place. But Alan crouches down, hands shaking as he fights against the compulsion. Dean's gun snaps over to Reid. "What are you doing?" he snarls. "Stop it!"

Reid ignores him. Alan fights against the order, and blood starts leaking from Reid's nose as he struggles to _make_ Alan let go of the gun.

Up in the catwalk, Hotch and Rossi exchange looks. _What do we do?_ Rossi asks.

Hotch hesitates. _I'm not shooting him. I don't know what that will do to Reid._

_We have to do something, Hotch!_ Morgan pleads. _He's gonna kill him!_

Suddenly JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia all reach out, tying themselves to Reid and lending a hand. Unaware, Sam and Dean watch as Alan's nose starts to bleed. The girls and Reid force Alan all the way to the ground. The gun is still clenched in his hand, but he no longer seems inclined to use it. Garcia walks a little ways into the building, her need to be there outweighing common sense to stay out of sight.

Movement catches Dean's eye. In one movement, he spins and fires his gun, but it's not Garcia he hits. The bullet impacts Castiel's shoulder. Dean jerks.

"Shit, Cas, I'm sorry!" He reaches out to help, even though he knows Castiel doesn't really need it, but the angel just walks right past him. He places a hand on Alan's back and looks up at Reid.

"Let him go."

Reid doesn't look away from Alan. "He came after Hotch. He'll do it again."

"Let me take care of it." Castiel never looks away from Reid. Blood coats the younger man's lips (at least his nose has stopped bleeding), and he looks downright feral. Castiel touches his arm with his free hand. "Trust me. Please."

The agent takes a shuddering breath and looks away. _Let him go, guys._

Castiel doesn't need Reid to tell him when the girls have let go. Alan snarls and attempts to lunge to his feet, but Castiel knocks him out with a touch. The angel turns to the hunters. "Let Spencer go. I'll take care of this trash." With that he vanishes, along with Alan Foyet.

Morgan utters a shaky laugh. "Well, that was anticlimactic."

"I'd rather have it that way." Prentiss says. "Climatic usually means hospital trips." The team comes down from the catwalk; Garcia joins them at Reid's chair. She unties him with shaking hands and pulls him into a bear hug. Reid tolerates the extra attention.

Hotch immediately rounds on Dean. "You shot at my daughter."

Dean's eyes widen. He holds up his hands. "I claim accident. I saw movement, I shot at it. Good thing Cas showed up when he did."

"Hotch, don't worry about it." Garcia says. "No harm done."

Rossi sighs. "We need to explain things to them, otherwise they won't be the last hunters on our asses." he says to Hotch. "We need them on our side."

Sam pipes up. "We have a hotel room in town. You could come with us." At Hotch's look, he added, "Cas is on your side. Besides, you outnumber us. This is your advantage, not ours."

Hotch finally just sighs. "Fine."

/-/

AN: Sorry about the long update time – this chapter hated me. So this story has one more chapter left, and then it's on to the next. And since I have a job that starts next week (finally!) I'll try to get it up over the weekend.


	5. Chapter 5

**No Rest For The Wicked, Pt 5**

The hotel room is cramped with all of them in there. Introductions have already been made. Sam and Dean sit on the beds; the FBI agents gather around, standing or sitting on the floor. Reid is comfortable enough to sit down. To no one's surprise, Hotch stands beside him, guarding their youngest. Castiel stands between the two beds, Dean to his left and Sam to his right.

Sam speaks first. "So, what are you guys anyway?" he asks. "I mean, if Emily survived being stabbed, obviously you're more than just FBI agents."

Reid answers. "We're Readers."

Dean blinks. "Readers? I've never even heard of them."

"You wouldn't have." Castiel says quietly. "The few Readers that go dark are usually taken out by their own gift."

"So what the hell is a Reader?" Dean demands, twisting to look up at Castiel. The angel shrugs.

"Natural psychics. They aren't tainted by demon blood or anything else unnatural. They just are." He directs his focus to Reid. "Spencer and his team are unique."

"How so?"

"Reid was born this way. We were created." Rossi replies. "When we joined the team – when we all came in contact with Reid – he opened us up. He made us who we are." The others nod agreement. Sam and Dean exchange looks. Reid smiles.

"I had a hand in that too."

Dean's attention snaps to him. "You're a mind-reader, then?" Reid nods. "Makes sense. What about that pushing thing? What do you mean, you had a hand in that?"

"I think it comes with the ability to Awaken people." Reid says. "Other Readers, as far as I know, can't do it. But I can, and so can they. We've only used it a few times, when we absolutely have to. Getting shot sucks."

"I don't think you realize how scary that makes you." Dean says quietly.

"You aren't the first person who's tried to kill him." Morgan says darkly. "We protect our own."

Once again, the brothers exchange looks. Reid catches two thoughts quite clearly. One is Sam – _They're like me and Dean. We cross them, we are so screwed. They'll kill us._ – and the other is Dean.

_I wish Cas would see he's mine, too. _

Reid's eyes widen. A slow grin spreads across his face, but it's gone by the time the brothers look back at him. After a long moment of silence, Dean claps his hands together. "Okay. So you're a bunch of mind-reading, people-pushing FBI agents who are not evil. I can get behind that. I've got one last question for you."

Hotch's eyes narrow. "And that is?"

"Emily. And you, I think. How are you guys surviving things that should kill you?"

Castiel shifts. "I can answer that." He looks at the team. "You tied your souls together. Nothing can happen to one of you without happening to all of you, and as you grow stronger, even a direct assault will not damage you."

Garcia shivers. "Can we not test that, please?" she pleads. "It was bad enough when Hotch – I don't wanna do that again."

"None of us do, baby girl." Morgan assures her. He wraps one arm around her and pulls her close to his side. Garcia snuggles in against him. JJ and Prentiss exchange looks and grins. Morgan reaches out and lightly smacks Prentiss on the back of the head. "Not nice, Emily."

"Hey!" Prentiss laughs. "It's true, though!"

Rossi rolls his eyes. "Children, behave, please."

Sam and Dean immediately burst out laughing. Reid glances at Hotch. _We have them. They're on our side, now._

_Good. I really want to get back home. _

_Just remember, if you shoot them, we're gonna have a pissed-off angel on our hands._

_I know. That's why they're still alive._ Hotch sighs. "We need to head back. Jessica's probably wondering where we are." he says. JJ nods. The group gets up and leaves out the door. Reid is the last one to go. He walks up to the hunters and angel, shaking each one's hand as he goes. He's got this odd little smile on his face, and Hotch watches from the door, curious. Reid lets go of Dean's hand, and suddenly all three of them jerk.

Dean looks up at Reid, eyes wide. "The hell?"

"My thank-you. And repayment to Castiel." He smiles at the angel and walks off. As they head back to the vans, Hotch glances at him.

_Did you just – _

_Yeah._

_Why? Did they really want it?_

Reid shrugs. _Castiel and Sam did. Dean mostly just wanted them to know how far he'd go for them. Sam knows – he's gone there before – but Castiel didn't. Now he does._

Hotch shakes his head. _Reid, you're something else, you know that?_

Reid laughs. _I think you may have mentioned it a time or two._

/-/

It takes three days, but Hotch isn't surprised to find Dean Winchester standing outside of FBI headquarters, waiting for him. He walks up to the younger man. "I'm surprised you're still in town." he says. "When we ran background checks on you, they didn't come back good." Dean grimaces.

"I hate shapeshifters."

"Shape – no, I don't want to know. Humans are bad enough to deal with." Hotch shakes his head. "So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

Dean shifts from foot to foot. It's clear he's uncomfortable. "You know what Spencer did?"

"Yes. I had a feeling he might."

"Why?"

Hotch sighs. "Because he wanted to help Castiel. I think he sees a kindred spirit in him. They're both just outcasts looking for a family. Reid found his with us. Castiel wanted that, too, so Reid gave him you and Sam."

"I almost flipped out." Dean admits. He shoves his hands in his pockets. "When I realized what happened, I almost flipped. Then I saw how freaking _happy_ Cas and Sam were about the whole deal. I just – I can't argue with that, you know? I think it's freaky as hell, but they don't, and who am I to say they can't have it?" He shakes his head. "Just – how do you deal?"

Hotch doesn't have to ask what he means. He remembers those first months very clearly. "Well, for one thing, we were all eased into this one at a time, and we had someone who could help us, because he'd been dealing with it his whole life." he says. "But you learn. After a while, it just becomes background noise until you choose to focus on it."

Dean nods. He takes a deep breath. "Cas went back up to Heaven. Said something about reporting to his superiors. Aaron – I can _hear him_ all the way up there."

That gets Hotch's attention. He frowns. "Huh. Must be because he's an angel. We start to lose coherent transmission halfway across the country."

Dean laughs. "That's still a long-ass way away." Suddenly, he grins. "Well, at least Sammy won't be able to walk off without me again." Abruptly, he turns serious. "Listen, I know what this means. I'm a big brother, and Sam's always been a bit of a freak, so I know what it's like to try and protect something like that. Hell, I sold my soul for the kid."

"What are you saying?"

"Don't worry about hunters. We'll deal with them. You focus on keeping your family safe."

Hotch stares at him for a moment. In that moment, when Reid gave Dean the connection the team cannot live without, he made permanent allies out of them. They are now part of the BAU family, even if they aren't directly tied to them. Hotch smiles.

"Thanks. Oh, and don't worry about your backgrounds, either. Our analyst can do some mean things with a computer."

Dean grins. "You're cool, for a fed."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Dean turns to walk away, then stops. "Tell Spencer I said thanks." With that, he's gone into the crowd. Hotch smiles and returns to his office. He stands in the window for a moment, watching the bullpen. It's a quiet day – the others are filling out paperwork, or at least pretending to. Rossi is leaning on Prentiss's desk, talking about something; Reid and Morgan are throwing paper wads at each other while JJ keeps score; Garcia is watching everything from her office webcam and secretly recording it to show the boys later.

For a brief moment, Reid looks up and smiles at Hotch.

Hotch just smiles back and returns to his desk.

**The End**

AN: Whoo! Another story down! There will be one more 'official' story in SW (I saw official because we all know how that works with me) and it will also serve as part 2 of Children of the Darkness. For those of you who follow SPN, this could also mark the beginning of a similar series for the SPN characters. So hey, more fun for all!

Until next time, I remain yours truly,

Shadowblade-tara


End file.
